In a wireless communication network, a fixed wireless network node communicates with one or more remote wireless devices via a wireless channel. Such a wireless network node is typically referred to as, e.g., a base station, a radio base station, a NodeB, an enhanced NodeB (eNodeB), etc. For simplicity, the following refers to such a wireless network node as a “base station” or a “BS.”
A central node controls the operations of each BS connected to it, as well as the communications to and from each BS. In some cases, the central node connects to each BS via one or more optical fibers. For frequency division duplexing (FDD) systems, where transmission and reception happen at the same time, each BS includes a duplexer to isolate the reception and transmission chains. For time division duplexing (TDD) systems, where transmission and reception happen at different times, each BS typically includes a circulator to isolate the transmission and reception chains. Circulators, however, tend to be bulky and expensive. Further, circulators prevent the corresponding BS from being able to deactivate the transmission/reception chain when the BS is receiving/transmitting signals. Thus, there remains a need to improve the performance associated with the optical fiber connection between the central node and the BSs.